Extending Chloramphenicol Administration Intervals for UTI

ArticleLast Updated October 20241 min read
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KuKanich KS, Anderson EE, Carcamo Tzic AD, KuKanich B. Potential for extending the chloramphenicol dosing interval for canine urinary tract infections. J Vet Pharmacol Ther. 2024. doi:10.1111/jvp.13465


Research Note

Chloramphenicol is approved for treatment of UTI in dogs. The label dose is 50 mg/kg PO every 6 hours, but the drug is often administered at 40 to 50 mg/kg PO every 8 hours. Extending administration intervals may provide benefits, including improved compliance.

This study evaluated urinary excretion of chloramphenicol in 7 healthy, adult, purpose-bred beagles and 6 healthy, adult, client-owned dogs to optimize an administration protocol for treatment of UTI. All dogs received a single dose of chloramphenicol (50 mg/kg PO). Urine was collected at baseline and 6, 8, 12, and 24 hours after administration. Urine concentrations of chloramphenicol were measured and compared with the epidemiologic cutoff for Escherichia coli (16 micrograms/mL). All client-owned dogs and most beagles exceeded the target concentration at 8 hours, supporting 8-hour administration intervals. All client-owned dogs (but not all beagles) also exceeded the target concentration at 12 hours, suggesting 12-hour administration intervals may be appropriate for some nonbeagle dogs with lower UTI.